Rotary engine.



Patented Dot. 2|, I902.

'No. 71mm.-

0. m. AGNEW. ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Jan. 24, 1902.)

2 Sheeis'-Shaet I.

' (No Model.)

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(No Model.)

Eva)? UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLA IR M. AGNEW, OF HOMER, MICHIGAN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '7 11,711 dated October 21, 1902.

Application filed January 24, 1962. Serial No. 91,086. (No model.)

To all 1072 0771 it nury concern:

Be it known that I, CLAIR M. AGNEW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Homer, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rotary engines, and is designed .to produce an engine of the class described which shall be simple in its construction, reliable in its operation, and in which the expansive force of the steam will be fully utilized.

To illustrate my invention, I annex hereto two sheets of drawings, in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures, of which- Figure 1 is a transverse section on the line A A of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line BB of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view in section on the line C O of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the piston-carrying disk. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the pistons. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the left-hand half of the cylinder with the rest of'the mechanism removed, and Fig. 7 is a section through the controllingvalve on the linerD D of Fig. 1.

The cylinder 10 of the engine is conveniently composed, of two halves 11 and 12, which are provided on their inner faces with the oppositely-disposed annular channels 13 and 14, respectively, and, the central bearing-recesses 15 and 16, through which passes the shaft 17. These halves 11 and 12 are fastened together, as by the bolts 18 or in any other convenient manner. The shaft 17 has the belt-wheel19 secured to one end, and

' the piston-carrying disk 20 is secured to the middle thereof, its hub 21 rotating between the abutments 22 and 23, forming the inner surfaces of the channels 13 and 14, the abutments not being flush with but only extending part of the distance to the outer edges of the halves 11 and 12, as clearly seenin Figs. 2 and 3. The disk 20 preferably has a rim 24, constituting the periphery and extending in the form of an annular flange on either side thereof, preferably to the extreme depth of the channels 13 and 14. The pistons 25, (preferably three in number,) as best seen in Fig. 5, correspond to the combined cross sections of the channels 13 and 14 and are rectangular in their general outline and of a width and length to extend entirely across said channels and close them at the points they are passing. To permit of their playl ing in and out, as is necessitated by the form of the channels employed, they have the rectangular recesses 26 thereon just wide enough to embrace the central web of the piston-carrying disk 20, which has the radialslots 27;

corresponding in number to the pistons and in Width to their thickness.

The lower halves of the channels are circular and concentric with the shaft 17, while the upper halves arelikewise circular, or substantially'so, but on a lower center, so that the upper half is flattened, as it were. As best seen in Figs. 1 and 5, the outer edges of the pistons are rounded just sufficiently so that they can slide freely upon the different curves constituting the outer surfaces of the channels, While the inner edges are of a rounded wedge shape, so that they can likewise cooperate with the sharper and different curves constituting the inner surfaces of the channels and still be sufliciently steamtight.

For a controlling-valve to be used in connection therewith I employ a substantially semispherical casing located above the cylinder and supported by the two pipes 28 and 29, screwed or otherwise secured in suitable apertures in the flatbase-piece 30 of the valvecasing and connected with the ports 31 and 32, opening into the top of the cylinder on the opposite sides thereof. Between the two pipes 28 and 29 is another pipe 33, opening into the base-piece 30 between the pipes 28 and 29 and having its other end extended to any position where it may be desired to exhaust the steam. The dome-shaped top 34 of the valve-casing is secured by means of bolts 35, passing through a flange 36 and the basepiece 30. This top piece 34 has thesupplypipe 37 opening into it through a suitable port, and at its top is formed the packing-box 38, through which extends the valve-stem 39, which is operated by a handle 40 in the customary manner. The valve-bod y 41, as seen in Figs. 1 and 7, has one port 42 extending therethrough, while a recess 43 in the under side thereof is so positioned that when the 7 ing the port.

aperture 42 is usedto connect the supply-pipe 37 with one of thepipes 28 or 29-forinstanee, 29, as seen in Fig. 1-the recess 43 serves to connect the other pipe 28 with the exhaustpipe 33. The ports 31 and 32 preferably open into the channels 44 and 45, which extend for a Width equal to the diameter of the pipes 28 and 29 for a short distance on either side of the ports 31 and 32, so as to permit the steam to act for a greater length of time on the piston in advance of the one that is just cross- A cock 46 may be provided in the bottom of the cylinder to draw off any water of condensation that may accumulate.

The operation of my improved engine Will be readily apparent. The steam will be admitted to the engine through the pipe 28 or 29, depending upon the position of the valve, and will rotate the shaft 17 by its action on the pistons 25 in a manner that will be readily apparent. By reason of the shape of the channel and the location of the pistons I am enabled to utilize to the fullest extent the expansion of the steam that is admitted to the engine, so that a very efficient yet simple motor results.

While I have shown my invention as embodied in the form Which I at present consider best adapted to carryout its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications and that I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as maybe necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a rotary engine, the combination with the cylinder having the channel therein of uniform width, the halves of the channel being formed substantially on the arcs of two eccentric circles, of the shaft concentric with said cylinder, the piston carrying disk secured to said shaft and having its periphery projected into said channel, the pistons carried by said disk and slidable radially therein and having their outer ends rounded and their inner ends of a rounded wedge shape to cooperate with the respective surfaces of the channel, the inlet and exhaust ports opening into said channel on the half nearest the shaft and on opposite sides of the nearest portion of the channel to said shaft, and a controlling-valve governing the use of said ports.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with the cylinder having the channel therein of uniform Width, the halves of the channel being formed substantially on the arcs of two eccentric circles, of the shaft concentric with said cylinder, the piston-carrying disk secured to said shaft and consisting of the central webhaving the radial slots therein, the pistons carried by said disk and slidable in said slots 27 and having the recesses 26 cooperating With the Web of the piston-carrying disk, connections between the piston-carrying disk and the pistons for holding the latter parallel to the shaft, the inlet and exhaust ports opening into said channel on the half nearest the shaft and on opposite sides of the nearest point of the channel to said shaft, and a controlling-valve governing the use of said ports.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination with the cylinder having the channel therein of uniform width, the halves of the channel being formed substantially on the arcs of two eccentric circles, of the shaft concentric with said cylinder, the piston-carrying disk secured to said shaft and consisting of the central web and the peripheral flanges extending to the edges of the channel and having the radial slots 27 therein, the pistons carried by said disk and slidable radially in the slots 27 and having the recesses 26 cooperating with the Web of the piston-carrying disk,the inlet and exhaust ports opening into said channels on the half nearest the shaft and on opposite sides of the nearest point of the channel to said shaft, and a controlling-valve governing the use of said ports.

4. In arotary engine, the combination with the cylinder composed of two halves, each having. a channel therein of uniform width and the halves of the channels being formed substantially on the arcs of two eccentric circles, the shaft-bearing formed in said halves concentric with the cylinder, the abutments on said halves forming the inner surfaces of the channels, and means for securing said halves together; of the shaft mounted to rotate in said bearings, the piston-carrying disk secured to said shaft between the abutments and consisting of the central web and the peripheral flanges having the radial slots 27 therein, the pistons carried by said disk and slidable radially in the slots 27 and having the recesses 26 codperating with the web of the piston-carrying disk and having their ends rounded as described, the inlet and exhaust ports opening into said channel on the half nearest the shaft and on opposite sides of the nearest point of the channel to said shaft, and a controlling-valve governing the use of said ports.

In testimony whereof .I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLAIR M. AGNEW.

Witnesses:

H. V. HARWICK, LEWIS WHITEHEAD. 

